gorman | Frocks & Frou Frou

Skirt: DIY

I’m quite lazy when it comes to my beauty routine, and I always try to find shortcuts when I can.

I wear BB Cream, because it works as a moisturiser, an SPF30+suncream, and a foundation (this one’s my favourite). I got laser hair removal because I was sick of shaving my legs every day. And I’m incapable of finding a mascara that doing end up all over my cheekbones within an hour. So I get my eyelashes tinted.

Since I moved away from the CBD I needed to find a new salon locally that did eyelash tinting so I was thrilled to discover a placed called “Play: Brow and Lash Bar” just around the corner. While I was there I decided to have my eyebrows “threaded” as well.

You don’t see them much, because of my fringe, but my eyebrows are naturally quite sparse, especially at the edges where they lose all definition.

Me. Before I discovered tweezers. That baby is allowed to drink and vote now. That tells you how long ago it was!

When I didn’t have the fringe I got them professionally shaped and tinted (because, lazy) but since growing the fringe in I’ve been kind of taking care of them myself. Which of course, meant that they were a bit of a disaster zone.

The girls at Play were really friendly and attentive, and explained very patiently to me where I was going wrong in my technique. One eyebrow was arched, the other curved, the gap between them was too wide for my face, and they were a bit uneven. They gave me a game plan for upkeep, and then tidied them up for me.

I don’t know if any of you have tried threading, but I can give it the two thumbs up. It’s not quite as quick at waxing; but it’s more precise, not nearly as messy, and you don’t end up with two angry splodges of red on your forehead for the rest of the day.

My eyelash tint was seamless too, and my consultant was very attentive, making careful sure that the dye hadn’t seeped into my eyes and wasn’t stinging.

Play’s been around for less than a year in both South Yarra and Fitzroy, but I’ll definitely be back, and I thoroughly recommend it for anyone locally looking for lash and brow services in a friendly, laid-back, non-pretentious environment.

Today’s outfit was all soft and gold and cuddly and discreetly glittery.

I wore the draped wool skirt that I made for myself a couple of years ago. I teamed it with my remixed cashmere cardigan with the sequinned elbow patches and a t-shirt from Gorman with gold polkadots.

My most OTT bit of bling was this amazing rhinestone collar that I bought ages ago from Lovisa, and have never had the courage to wear before.The fabric of this necklace is actually quite a soft cotton, and it ties up at the back with a tatty bit of chiffon fabric. There’s a bit of faded glamour about it that appeals to me, but I haven’t been able to find the outfit that it works with yet.

This is OK, but still not perfect. How would you wear it?

Top: Gorman

Skirt: Gorman (remixed)

Shoes: Chie Mihara

I don’t often talk about body politics on Frocks and Frou Frou. I made that choice deliberately when I started the blog in 2008.

See, I like to pretend that we live in a world where no one judges other people on the basis of shape, size, weight, age or the colour of their skin. Addressing the issue is acknowledging that it exists, and in my cozy little corner of the Internet, it doesn’t.

In over four years of blogging I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve received an unpleasant email or comment. I keep my head down, my politics under wraps, and the trolls leave me alone.

In the last week though, three examples of fat-shaming popped up on my personal Facebook feed, and it occurred to me that perhaps because I don’t rise to the bait or call them on it, people don’t realise that what they’re sharing might be hurtful or damaging.

My friends aren’t to blame; body snark is such an intrinsic part of today’s culture that it probably didn’t occur to them that a birthday card ridiculing fat women, or a gripe about overpacked public transport would be taken to heart. And I didn’t take them to task for it, because its not my style. I just hid the post from my feed, put it aside in my mind, and carried on with my day.

Then earlier today I read something that galvanised me into writing this post.

Sally McGraw is the writer of Already Pretty, a blog that “exists to show that body knowledge gained through explorations of personal style can foster self-love and self-respect”.

“The Question of Health” is a post that Sally wrote in 2011, before I started reading her, so when it popped up in my twitter feed earlier today it was the first time I’d come across it.

In her post Sally says:

“Every woman at every weight, shape, and size deserves to be treated with respect, deserves to feel loved, deserves to make her own decisions about her own body. Every woman at every weight, shape, and size deserves to have a fabulous time exploring her personal style and honing her unique look. Every woman at every weight, shape, and size can define health for herself. And, above all, every woman at every weight, shape, and size deserves to be happy.”

I can’t imagine a more important message to pass on to you than that.

Click through, and read the full article, and once you’re done here’s some more resources to hopefully give you the tools to stand strong against any fat-shaming, concern trolling, or body snark that you might encounter in your travels elsewhere.

Breaking down some of the misinformation about the health dangers of being overweight

A directory of Australian medical professionals who understand that you’re more than your waist measurement

One of the best political blogs about fat advocacy on the Internet

Definatalie’s manifesto on how to love yourself in 8 really hard steps

A plus-size street fashion blog: Larger bodies, wearing clothes, in public.

Frocks And Frou Frou isn’t a political space – that’s not changing – but I ‘m going to start doing my bit to try and stamp out body snark when I see it occurring around me. Because we all deserve to live in a world where it’s the exception, not the norm.

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